scarify

[ skar-uh-fahy ]
/ ˈskær əˌfaɪ /

verb (used with object), scar·i·fied, scar·i·fy·ing.

to make scratches or superficial incisions in (the skin, a wound, etc.), as in vaccination.
to lacerate by severe criticism.
to loosen (the soil) with a type of cultivator.
to hasten the sprouting of (hard-covered seeds) by making incisions in the seed coats.
to break up (a road surface).

Origin of scarify

1400–50; late Middle English scarifie < Middle French scarifier < Late Latin scarīficāre, alteration of Latin scarīfāre, scarīphāre to make scratches < Greek skarīphâsthai to sketch, derivative of skárīphos stylus; see -ify

OTHER WORDS FROM scarify

scar·i·fi·er, noun un·scar·i·fied, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH scarify

scarify scorify

Words nearby scarify

scarfpin, scarfskin, scargill, scarification, scarificator, scarify, scarious, scarlatina, scarlatina hemorrhagica, scarlatinella, scarlatiniform

Example sentences from the Web for scarifier

  • I have almost finished No. 3, in which I have relieved my indignant soul with a scarifier.

    The Letters of Charles Dickens |Charles Dickens

  • For cutting off weeds, the push Hoe or scarifier is excellent.

    The Practical Garden-Book |C. E. Hunn

  • In like manner each group of people possesses its scarifier, who by practice becomes adept.

    Negritos of Zambales |William Allan Reed

  • When the soil has weathered a few weeks, the scarifier or cultivator should be run over it once monthly until May.

    The Cauliflower |A. A. Crozier

British Dictionary definitions for scarifier (1 of 2)

scarify 1
/ (ˈskɛərɪˌfaɪ, ˈskærɪ-) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)

surgery to make tiny punctures or superficial incisions in (the skin or other tissue), as for inoculating
agriculture
  1. to break up and loosen (soil) to a shallow depth
  2. to scratch or abrade the outer surface of (seeds) to increase water absorption or hasten germination
to wound with harsh criticism

Derived forms of scarify

scarification, noun scarifier, noun

Word Origin for scarify

C15: via Old French from Latin scarīfāre to scratch open, from Greek skariphasthai to draw, from skariphos a pencil

British Dictionary definitions for scarifier (2 of 2)

scarify 2
/ (ˈskɛərɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied

(tr) informal to make scared; frighten

Derived forms of scarify

scarifyingly, adverb

Word Origin for scarify

C18: from scare + -ify

usage for scarify

Scarify is sometimes wrongly thought to mean the same as scare: a frightening (not scarifying) film

Medical definitions for scarifier

scarify
[ skăr′ə-fī′ ]

v.

To make shallow cuts in the skin, as when vaccinating.